# Chapter 35: Light of Life
The Great Aias Mountains stretched for thousands of miles, traversing the entire Northern Lands, with countless perilous peaks rising from within. The most famous among them was the Great Aias Volcano, but aside from this volcano that shared the mountain range's name, there was another solitary peak that commanded everyone's attention.
Moldova Territory, the Frost Mountain Himinir.
In terms of majestic height, the Alta Mountain in the Central Black Forest was unparalleled. In terms of perilous ruggedness, the Imperial Ural Mountains could be called an unbreakable natural moat. Even within the Great Aias Mountains themselves, the Nissier Snow Mountain could be considered magnificent and beautiful. But all these peaks would feel inferior before Mount Himinir.
Because this was a thousand-meter ice peak whose greater part was covered in frost—unique in the world, a miracle among miracles.
Amidst the encircling mountain ranges, the pure white ice-carved mountain body pierced through the clouds like a sharp sword, its mirror-smooth surface reflecting the dawn light from above the clouds, as if draped in a golden veil.
But now, a figure stood atop the snowy peak, bathing in sunlight.
Joshua stood at the summit of Mount Himinir, gazing at the morning sun on the horizon. Flames burned around his body, and beneath his feet, a swift icy river surged.
The snow at the summit gradually melted from the light and flames radiating from the warrior's body. The ice water converged into a river, cascading from beneath the warrior's feet toward the cliff edge of the peak, pouring down from a thousand meters high. Most of the snow water dissipated into clouds of mist midway through its descent, hanging in the high altitude, but still, layers of white waves rolled straight down, crashing onto the ice rocks at the mountain's base.
Such an ice river waterfall was immensely spectacular. Continuous rumbling echoes reverberated among the surrounding peaks. Many snow mountains had already triggered avalanches from this thunderous sound, sending millions of tons of snow roaring down.
But Joshua paid no attention to the magnificent spectacle he had created around him. He merely stared at the blazing sun, countless thoughts surging in his mind.
The warrior had stood atop Mount Himinir for an entire day and night. He had stood from the rising dawn until the next day's break of day. Standing on this extreme-cold peak for a full day and night would be an impossible task for ordinary people, but for Joshua, whose body had been tempered a thousand times and surpassed all steel in the world, it meant nothing.
The dawn light swept across the ice layers, refracting various magnificent colors. In this extreme-cold Northern Land, even if the sun's rays were ever so blazing, they could not melt even a speck of ice. But with each heartbeat, an incomparably hot yet pure light radiated from the warrior's body. It was this light that effortlessly melted the ten-thousand-year-old ice at the summit, turning it into rolling ice water that surged down the mountain.
This was not true light, but the manifestation of Joshua's immensely powerful life force. The warrior had not even used battle qi; he had merely slightly released his life signature, and it had already created such a grand phenomenon. If an ordinary person's life flame was merely a twinkling star in the vast sky, then the warrior was a blazing sun at high noon.
This incomparably powerful life force contained endless vitality, yet also concealed a force that repelled everything. Any ordinary existence that approached even slightly would be subjected to powerful life radiation, producing all sorts of bizarre mutations—such as growing a third hand, internal organ deformities, and so on. Even ordinary Gold-rank experts would feel their own life force completely suppressed, unable to use even ninety percent of their strength.
Regardless of battle qi, technique, combat wisdom, or reaction speed, merely by relying on this body and life force that had reached the extreme limit, the warrior's strength had already stepped into the Ultimate-rank mid-level. With one hand, he could hold back an entire Mad Dragon Legion.
But he still seemed unsatisfied, still deep in thought.
Joshua understood his own body and power better than anyone.
Was his life force strong? Yes. Was it enough to advance to Legendary-rank? No.
Because he had not yet set foot on his own path.
The ruler of the Church of the Seven Gods, the deity walking among mortals, Pope Israel—his path was to master all light in the world. He could use holy light to create avatars, project himself across the entire continent to the Northern Lands, or transmit power through an insignificant light wave, killing tens of thousands of Mad Dragons in an instant. The old man concealed nothing about the essence of his power but openly displayed it for all to see. He had long since transformed his life essence, becoming a wave-like lifeform similar to an elemental aggregate.
The leader of the Far South Elves, the guide of the Druidic path, Lady Nature Mentor—her path was to embody nature itself. The body she walked with in the world was merely a proxy puppet containing Legendary-rank power. This Elf expert's true form was actually the forests upon forests above the Far South Elf territory, an entire ecological cycle. Therefore, she could freely mobilize the power of the earth, sky, and all beasts, using all of nature to face her enemies.
And the Imperial Emperor, Sky Dragon Rider Israel—the warrior had also briefly understood the essence of his power through their short exchange. It was the materialization of will, turning illusory beliefs and momentum into real, undeniable force.
These were their paths—the power unique to each Legendary expert, transcending divine arts, holy light, magic, battle qi, and natural force.
Thinking of this, Joshua closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness deep into his body.
He had already found his own path.
In the warrior's self-perception, every muscle and bone, every blood vessel and tendon had undergone countless cycles of destruction and rebirth, refinement and compression. His physical body had transcended the category of ordinary life, becoming a condensation of pure life force. If Joshua did not constantly restrain himself, binding the power that could erupt at any moment, then his vast life light would shine like a sun over the entire Moldavia main city, and the terrifying life radiation would extend to the border at the territory's edge.
For an Ultimate-rank expert, this was already the limit. The warrior could certainly continue to refine and compress his power, but this would only be a quantitative change, not a qualitative transformation. He had left Ying and Lin in Moldavia and come alone to Moldova—partly to avoid drawing attention, but mostly to think quietly about his future advancement path.
He was not Pope Israel, nor Lady Nature Mentor. His pursuit was different from Israel's as well. What Joshua wanted was the purest, most fundamental kind of power.
Transforming life force into steel force—that was the warrior's goal.
At this moment, all of Joshua's power came from battle qi, and what drove this power was his technique. The two complemented each other, making the warrior invincible. But those techniques, and even battle qi itself, were ultimately created by the sages of past generations in the Mycroft World—methods created by others to maximize the use of their own power. Imitating others' power could only go so far; one could never reach higher.
Therefore, Joshua attempted to create the Hellfire Breath, trying to use his own methods to control and strengthen his power.
For Joshua at present, battle qi had become something that bound him. It was power refined from life force, and the derivative of life force could ultimately never transcend life itself to advance to Legendary-rank. But steel force was the source of all things in the world. It could create life, shape all things. Life force was merely one of its tributaries. As long as he completed the conversion between the two, the warrior could naturally advance to the next step.
Joshua had not yet found this method, but he would use his own methods to try.
The warrior closed his eyes tightly. With a heartbeat like thunder, life force comparable to several Gold-rank magical beasts originated from him and surged toward his head. Endless power converged in his eye sockets. The warrior opened his eyes, and instantly, a bright red light, as if the sun itself were burning, shot straight out from his pupils.
Boom!
The red light swept across heaven and earth from its commanding height. Whether it was the rushing ice river or the roaring snow waterfall, the majestic snow mountains or the vast ice plains—all were dimmed under this light's illumination. The life radiation condensed to its extreme swept across the surrounding mountains, instantly exposing all life with nowhere to hide.
Hibernating beasts, lurking monsters, even adventurers wandering among the snow mountains all felt it. From snakes, insects, rats, and ants hiding in caves to Gold-rank magical beasts roaming deep underground—every single one sensed a tremendous force sweeping over them in the most brutal and domineering manner, seeing through them inside and out. Instantly, countless beasts fled their nests in terror, scattering in all directions, even fleeing deep underground.
The red light spread further into the distance. Joshua looked toward the southeast of the Great Aias Mountains, toward the direction of the Moldova Lord's City. One snow mountain after another was penetrated by his gaze. One life after another, whether strong or weak, was discovered by him. Finally, his gaze condensed on a certain mountain peak. Around this peak, countless power fluctuations like small suns were flickering—these were clusters of Gold-rank experts' life flames. They had all detected the warrior's scanning and began to fluctuate with some unease and fear.
Among these fluctuations, one life flame was different, appearing very calm. Joshua sensed this familiar fluctuation but did not let his gaze linger. Instead, he swept elsewhere, looking further away.
Finally, he found his target.
It was a vortex walking along the banks of the Magellan Non-Freezing River. It was enormous, like a black hole absorbing all light around it. Countless scattered life flames were silently extinguished by it without making a sound. Wherever it passed, light ceased to exist, leaving only a dark dead zone.
This vortex also detected Joshua's gaze. It stirred slightly, and then a violent life fluctuation surged, colliding with the warrior's power across the distance.
In that instant, Joshua perceived a fragment of the other's essence.
It was utter nothingness, a void that swallowed everything. Within that vortex that annihilated all things, there was no human emotion whatsoever—neither familial affection, friendship, love, nor hatred, fear, or anger. It had nothing, only a pure desire.
The desire to devour everything, to return all things into itself.
This vortex did not hesitate to try to devour the life radiation the warrior projected from afar. But how could Joshua let it have its way? The two clashed across the distance for an instant, and then, after repelling the other's tentacles, the warrior closed his eyes, ending this search.
And the next moment, a bold, hearty laugh shook heaven and earth, as if for a moment there was only this one sound in the world.
What could be more joyful, more capable of advancing one's power, than finding an evenly matched—or even stronger—enemy to fight?
Nothing!
What power advancement, what one's own path—Joshua von Radcliffe had never needed to agonize over such boring things. He only needed to seek more, stronger opponents, and use them as nourishment to make himself burn even more fiercely.
The warrior raised his head to look into the distance, toward where the enemy was. Dozens of peaks stood in the way, and several ice cliffs blocked the path. But to him, these were merely roadside pebbles, small ditches—he only needed to lift his foot to cross them.
Joshua's muscles bulged. Light bloomed around him. Red light converged like a newborn sun, in an instant illuminating the southeastern Great Aias Mountains, enveloping this majestic mountain range spanning thousands of square kilometers within his life fluctuation.
The next instant, Joshua stamped his foot and stepped forward, his body transforming into a red star shooting into the sky. The ice and snow at the summit of Mount Himinir shattered with a roar. Ten-thousand-year-old sediment ice mixed with surging snow water, under the irradiation of the warrior's scorching life energy, turned into steaming heat waves scattering in all directions.
And moments later, the white steam mist dispersed, but thick black smoke surged upward. The originally pure white snow mountain range was now illuminated bright red by waves of scalding crimson. The summit of Mount Himinir, once covered in endless frost, had now mostly disappeared, turned pitch black as if melted. A lake of golden-red magma sank deep into it, radiating heat waves that could melt anything.
And in the distance, by the banks of the Non-Freezing River, the man with dark green hair also raised his head, staring for a long time at the distant high sky.